The military has become more accepting of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals serving openly within its ranks.
Studies have shown that LGBT soldiers face unique challenges due to discrimination and prejudice, which can lead to mental health problems like depression and anxiety. One way to combat these issues is through effective coping strategies, such as adaptive coping and emotional regulation. This research seeks to understand how relational satisfaction correlates with these strategies among LGBT soldiers and their performance.
Relational satisfaction refers to the extent to which an individual's needs are met in a relationship. It involves factors such as trust, communication, support, and intimacy. Adaptive coping is a strategy whereby individuals deal with stressors by modifying their behaviors, thoughts, and feelings in a positive manner. Emotional regulation entails controlling one's own emotions and reactions.
The study included 50 LGBT soldiers who were divided into two groups based on their relational satisfaction. The group that reported high relational satisfaction was compared against those with low satisfaction. Participants were assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations-II (CISS-2), and Multidimensional Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (MERQ).
Results showed that those with higher relational satisfaction had better scores on the BSI and CISS-2 scales than those with lower satisfaction.
They displayed greater emotion regulation abilities, as measured by the MERQ. These findings suggest that relational satisfaction may be linked to improved psychological well-being and adaptive coping skills.
This research highlights the importance of promoting healthy relationships among LGBT soldiers to enhance their mental health and resilience. Further studies should explore other factors that contribute to relational satisfaction and how it impacts overall performance in the military.
How does relational satisfaction correlate with adaptive coping, emotional regulation, and performance in LGBT soldiers?
Relational satisfaction is an important indicator of mental health among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) soldiers. Research suggests that LGBT soldiers who experience greater relational satisfaction are more likely to adopt adaptive coping strategies such as problem solving, planning, and active engagement in stressful situations. This can lead to better emotional regulation and improved performance on cognitive tasks like decision-making and memory recall.